Disclaimer:  This is what my relative and brother to Grady Cherry, Marshall Cherry, shared with me back about 18 years ago. Grady and Marshall’s grandpa was George Washington Cherry was born in Bumpus Mills.  I am a direct descendant of Avarilla and Mary, two of his sisters.  Avarilla married Wilson C. Wallace and Mary was the first wife of Jeremiah (Jerry) Wallace.  So I’m related to both Grady and Ruphine by blood relations.  I vow that the story I share is what Marshall shared with me.


 
Ruphine Wallace was the daughter of Vinnie Wallace of Bumpus Mills.  She was also the granddaughter of Jeremiah (Jerry) Wallace and Alice (Allie) Newberry of Bumpus Mills.  Grady Cherry was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Luther Cherry of Crockett’s Creek.  Ruphine was raised by her Aunt Camellia (Cam) “Wallace” Herndon and her Uncle Nathaniel (Jink) Herndon of Tip Top.

According to the story shared with me Jink Herndon had sexually molested Ruphine since childhood.  He was jealous of her relationship with Grady.  Ruphine and Grady had one son, Michael, who died in May 1943.  It was not a crib death as reported.  Jink Herndon stomped the baby to death.  This did not come out in the trial to convict John Luffman and Alvin Hicks who were executed via the electric chair in 1946 for the Cherry murders.  Jink wanted the two men to kill Grady so Jink was behind the whole thing.

Jink and Cam were visiting her brother, Newell Wallace, over on Link Highway near Bumpus Mills on Sunday August 15, 1943.  I can attest to this because my grandparents were there also. I’ve heard them both tell the story numerous times. My grandfather, Hershel Wallace, was the son of Henry Austin Wallace and Sarah Lancaster.  Henry Austin Wallace was a son of Jeremiah and Mary Wallace and 1st Cousin to Luther Cherry.   Ruphine was my grandfathers 1st Cousin.  Grady lay down on the sofa after lunch to take a nap and Ruphine made a pallet in the floor for the same purpose.  They were both asleep when Luffman and Hicks entered the house.  Luffman shot Grady in the head and the sound of the shot awakened Ruphine who screamed.  Hicks, frightened by her scream, shot her between the eyes.  He was using Jink Herndon’s pistol! Ruphine was never supposed to be killed!

John Luffman had sexual intercourse with the corpse of Ruphine Cherry.  This was never brought out in the trial.  Marshall stated that if that had been brought out a lynch mob would’ve hanged Luffman and Hicks both and a war between the Luffman, Hicks, Cherry, and Wallace families would’ve broken out.  So the Judge and the Attorney’s on both sides hushed up that information.
    
Marshall Cherry was in the service during WWII.  According to his story he was shipped back home to help his mother during all of this tragedy.  None of the story was told of Jink Herndon sexually molesting Ruphine, his killing her baby, or his being behind the murders.  Jink was a Stewart County Constable at the time. 

Luffman and Hicks were discovered to be the alleged murderers in this horrible crime.  Hicks spilled his guts and told all because his conscience was eating at him.  The jury was picked and according to the news clipping if you did not believe in the death penalty you could not be on the jury.  Luffman and Hicks were convicted and sentence to die via the electric chair.  They were housed in the Old Tennessee State Prison in Nashville. 

FYI:  It was the same prison seen in the Tom Hanks movie “The Green Mile”.  The electric chair in the movie was the same one that Luffman and Hicks died in.  The chair is known as “Old Sparky”.

In the 1960’s on her deathbed, Camellia Herndon confessed to poisoning Jink Herndon because he killed her baby.  She was referring to Ruphine.  Jink died in 1949.  The Herndon’s are buried in the Herndon Cemetery near Brandon Springs Group Camp. 

According to Marshall Cherry the section of the dogtrot house where the murder took place is the Mom & Pop cabin at The Homeplace in LBL.  The LBL Staff will deny this, but all but one of those buildings came from LBL.  According to former LBL Staff the floorboards in the cabin had to be turned over due to excessive blood stains in the wood. 

I would’ve shared this long ago, but Marshall did not want me sharing this until after he passed away.  I honored his request.



Donald Ray Watkins II

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